For this purpose, specialised Commercial Courts have been established at the Higher Regional Court (OLG) in Düsseldorf, and Commercial Chambers at the Regional Courts (LG) in Düsseldorf, Bielefeld, Essen, and Cologne. The Commercial Court, comprising three panels at the OLG Düsseldorf, is responsible for major commercial cases with a minimum dispute value of EUR 500,000 – for example, disputes arising from corporate transactions, corporate law, construction law, and insurance law. The prerequisite is that the parties involved agree on this venue and English as the language of proceedings.
The Commercial Chambers at the aforementioned Regional Courts can become involved starting from a dispute value of EUR 5,000. Here too, proceedings can be conducted entirely in English. In addition to traditional areas of business law, the Regional Courts are expanding their specialisation particularly in the fields of renewable energy (Bielefeld, Essen), information technology (Cologne), and corporate transactions (Düsseldorf).
Incidentally, similar specialised courts have also been established in other federal states, including Baden-Württemberg, Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Bavaria, Lower Saxony, and Saxony.
This judicial reform opens up entirely new opportunities for you: you can now conduct complex commercial proceedings before specialised judges in the English language, which simplifies communication and accelerates proceedings – particularly in international disputes. We will be happy to advise you on how to make the most of these new opportunities.